Love and Cherish
by Louis Bancroft
Summary: Mako and Raleigh have started a new life together eleven months after the end of the Kaiju War. Begins months after the events of Pacific Rim; may contain slight-fluff.
1. New Shanghai

December 12, 2025: Raleigh and Mako sat in the PPDC luxury jet that was transporting the duo to New Shanghai for a highly publicized party in their honor. After all, they had slain the most deadly Kaiju ever encountered by the Corps, and saved humanity as we know it. Humans were never getting back into the Anteverse, and those bastards were never getting back to Earth. It was almost perfect. The two exchanged glances slowly. Raleigh couldn't help but to notice Mako in all of her beauty, wearing what could have been the most elegant dress he'd seen in his life. They had been dating for the past ten months, and bought a small, blue house at the foot of Tanegashima. The two were in love with each other, no one else really knew about this relationship.

Of course he worried, for the last Jaeger pilots to fall for each other were the Kaidonovskies, although they most likely died in each other's hands. But the war was over. Although Raleigh wouldn't be sure how she would react from being around so many people from the Corps; the both of them knew that she still missed Pentecost dearly. Every month, Mako and Raleigh would hold hands and connect the Pons, drifting into her memories of Stacker, cherishing the time they had together. Pentecost didn't lie. He was in the Drift. Somehow. The couple's feelings for each other were strong, even bolstered by their link from the all the Drifting. They often thought about getting married somewhere down the road. They could only see so far into the future…..

The hovercraft suddenly arrived at the World Financial Center, on a helipad with waiting technicians who gladly opened the sliding doors of the vehicle. The technicians had ridiculous smiles; one of them even bothered to admire their work: "Mr. Becket, Ms. Mori, I, I just wanna say how great I think you guys are, and Gipsy Danger, and, and…." Raleigh handled the situation. "Thanks, but it was an honor already. Trust me, it wasn't easy." The technician beamed. Trying to be gentlemanly as possible for the cameras, Becket helped Mako out of the craft, where they posed for the headlines.

Mako's mind already drifted to the publicity. _Good god, they must know we're a couple_, she thought. The two entered the building, arm in arm, where they were greeted by an ecstatic Newton, who somehow looked presentable. "Hey! So glad you guys got here early enough, because I and Herm were kinda preoccupied with the possibility of a second breach and my whole theory on the designation of…actually, it's not important, so, uh, enjoy yourselves!" and with that, Newton skittered back over to an overdressed Hermann, who indulged in glasses of champagne and stuffed mushrooms while happily socializing with fellow scientists.

Mako leaned close to Raleigh. "Why the hell is he here?" she asked. "Maybe he's just trying to fit in. You know, with the rest of us. What about it?" he replied. "Well then maybe just Hermann at least. I don't know how a person like Newt would function somewhere here like this." Raleigh tried to assure her. "It'll be fine, trust me." For the next few hours, the two socialized, indulged in some of what was possibly the most expensive alcoholic drinks any of them had ever tasted, and danced the night away before being escorted back to their small residence.

When they reached home, Raleigh plopped on the bed while Mako proceeded to disrobe near him. He gave a small grin. He was drunk. Mako started to smirk at him, before proceeding to give him a kiss good night, leaving him on the foot of their bed as he slept in a fetal position with nothing but his grey socks, dress shirt and tidies. After a few minutes, she came to the foot of the bed and hugged him from behind, lovingly running her fingers through his hair. This led to a fairly awkward conversation.

"Hey, Mako."

"Yes, dear?"

"We should get a dog."

"No."

"Yeah. Yup. We should."

"Why do we need a dog?"

"They're you're best friends. Why not?"

"Do you really want one?"

"Herc has one."

"So you're asking for one because Herc has one?"

"Look at how much fun they have together! Let's get two! Yup. I'll let you choose."

"I'm very tired, Rails."

"Just say yes."

"You're such a child."

"Whatever. You know, it's funny because you'll actually squeal over them when you see one you like."

"You know what, fine. Let's get a dog tomorrow."

"You're the best, hun. Oh, and another thing."

"Hmm?"

"Why didn't I know about those swords? I mean, I'm inside your head. I thought I'd know about that."

"My mind never brought it up."

"So then it was just a last-minute thing?"

"Yes, dear. Now please, rest."

"Alright."

The two then proceeded to fall asleep in each other's arms. Even for conversations such as that one, it would count towards their relationship, which would eventually blossom.


	2. Holiday Blues

December 25, 2025: Raleigh woke up to a sweet, smiling face. "Merry Christmas, Rails." Mako gave him an unexpected wet kiss, which certainly woke the man up. "Merry Christmas." Mako sat in an eager, upright position, wearing very little but her shorts and Raleigh's old brown sweater, which looked baggy on her. Raleigh actually found this look very attractive, and was often quite fond of her wearing his clothes. The two exchanged multiple kisses before moving into the house's living room, to a beautifully lit tree.

Although it looked nearly store-brought, Raleigh had actually spent three vigorous hours chopping down a fir that had inexplicably popped up in the wilderness of Japan. He then brought it home, and had Mako decorate it. It was worth the work, though. The couple slowly exchanged gifts, beginning with Raleigh. Mako instructed him to cover his eyes as she went to get the gift. After a few seconds, she came back with a sliver, heavy box. "What is it?" Raleigh beamed. "You'll see. Just open it."

A silent Raleigh lifted two white Labrador pups from the box, before having a child-like moment, to the personal approval of Mako. "I just figured I'd buy them myself. As a surprise. Because of what we talked about last month. And you were right about what you said before." Raleigh was too preoccupied with both of the puppies to actually pay attention to Mako, instead just thanking her and tending back to the small animals. Mako grabbed one for herself.

"So, what should we name them?"

Becket looked back with a Cheshire grin. "We should call the one with the blue tag Gipsy."

"And the one with the red t-"

"Sakura."

Mako couldn't help but to admire Raleigh's soft side and giggle. "That one's a boy. Actually, they're both boys."

"Then the red tag should be Max and the blue tag should be Gipsy."

"Max and Gipsy. Hmm. Has a nice ring to it."

"They're so cute!"

"Well, they're just like little kids. We can raise them."

"You were right."

"Yup."

"What about when they grow old?"

"Then we'll grow old with them."

Raleigh sincerely looked at his lover. "Thank you, Mako."

"It's the least I could do."

The two leaned in for a kiss, both believing that their very first Christmas together as a couple would be the best of many to come.

As the day progressed, the couple listened to classic Christmas songs, lit the crackling fireplace and reminisced of family Christmases before Raleigh discovered a vintage disc marked 08MS. It was apparently a gift from Newton, which was better that Hermann's gift of a neatly written, twenty-page mathematical analysis on the Drift between Mako and Raleigh. As the television's laser attempted to decrypt the disc's content, a loud menu popped up, confusing the both of them. For the next two hours, the couple enjoyed several episodes of an anime having to do with something called a Gundam, which they naively viewed as a tribute to their work.

Raleigh pulled out a holiday record, putting it on a player and inviting Mako to dance. After sweeping her off her feet, the two proceeded to lovingly slow dance in the middle of their living room. Rather surprisingly, Raleigh happened to be a cheesy romantic. Then again, he did have horrible timing.

Mako didn't hesitate to ask. "Rails, did you think we would ever make it this far?"

"I knew it from when I first saw you."

"How?"

"A beautiful woman caught in the rain comes towards me. Logic."

"No, really."

"Well, it was after we fought. I just, I don't know, there was some kind of link."

"I don't know what you saw in me then."

"I knew."

"I don't want to call this a fantasy romance, but it's almost like one."

"It is, Mako."

"Then how are you certain that this'll last?"

"Because you're my co-pilot."

Hours later, a warm and tired Mako rested on the living room's couch, mindlessly going through several files on her PPDC-issued computer before being approached by a shirtless Raleigh. Both lovers grinned widely.

"So this is your idea of romance?"

"Does it work for you, Mako?"

"Your membership has paid off."

"Got to keep in shape."

"For who?"

"Who else am I trying to impress?

Raleigh playfully pounced on Mako as they exchanged several passionate kisses. Mako excitedly brought him down to her chest, nearly gasping under his weight. Thus began lovemaking that lasted for an hour, ending with a cuddling session between the two.

Mako nuzzled Raleigh. "Today certainly was eventful."

"That may be the best workout I've had in months."

"Better than piloting a Jaeger?"

"Definitely."

"Rails?"

"Yeah?"

"We may have to change these sheets."

Raleigh gave Mako a peck and laughed. "We can always buy new ones."

As the day progressed for Mako and Raleigh, Newton hosted his own gathering inside the Hong Kong Shatterdome, which at this point was merely an enormous recreational facility. Hansen, Choi, Gottlieb, and several PPDC technicians congregated in the K-Science Lab. Hermann, who was wearing a ridiculous Christmas sweater gifted from Raleigh, was wrapped in a conversation with Tendo in a corner.

"The predicament that I was stuck in due to Newton's usual mathematical incompetence resulted in a phased blowback for our generator. I never knew the thing could short out so easily.

Choi was stuck between a plate of hors d'ouevres and listening to Hermann, but compromised. "So, what happened afterwards?"

"Well, it took two hours and seven car batteries, but we jerry-rigged the damn thing back online. I'll just say that I don't think we'll have to deal with outages again."

"Yay."

"However, we toyed around with the LOCCENT radar, and analyzed the section from which the Kaiju had originated. Combined with Newton's theories after receiving visions from drifting with the Kaiju brain, I think that whatever he saw was actually right."

"What did he see?"

"We think that this supposed ante-verse is inhabited by sentient extradimensional beings, which Newton prefers to call the masters."

"What are you sayin'?"

"I think that the Kaiju never were wild beasts. They were nothing but minions, genetically engineered abominations, clones of each other. My god, we should have listened to Newton in the first place. Then again, there's never a difference with his babbling…."

"Well that certainly is fascinating, but I don't know, that kind of shit is irrelevant. We already blew up the breach. There's no thinkable way that they could somehow….re-open a crack in the sea floor."

"But no, Choi. A leftover sensor from Gipsy Danger is still floating through their world, sending out repetitive and distinct electromagnetic pulses back to our satellites, like some kind of two-way transmitter between dimensions."

Tendo's face immediately changed as the two exited the lab and moved on to the LOCCENT command center itself, walking as they talked.

"So what does this tell you?" Choi had a worried look.

"We've detected a large, living mass."

"Jesus fuckin' Christ. You serious, Hermann?"

"I think that…it may be a Kaiju."

"Bullshit."

"I'm afraid not. Seismographs show something….monstrous. Whenever it gets too close, the beacon shuts off. Like some kind of biological electromagnetic pulse to counteract the beacon's own, reminiscent of the category IV encountered earlier this year."

"You mean Leatherback?"

"Precisely. Thermal and radiological imaging indicate that this may be some kind of gargantuan beast, perhaps something worse."

"Then if our beacon stays active, that thing's gonna be pissed when it wakes up."

"That's along the lines of what I thought."

"Well, do you at least have an idea of what this thing looks like through thermal?"

"Large projections, thick armor, bioluminescence. But the size estimations are astronomical."

"Designation."

"A category VI."

Tendo took a breath. "We're not restarting this program, man. It's not happening all over again. That slattern was the last one to emerge, and your double and triple events proved to be right, but there can't possibly be a new Kaiju."

"This information has to stay between you and me, Tendo. Newton has already shut his mouth about it."

"How in the hell…"

"I'm very serious, Choi. These beings may be planning to open another interdimensional breach on some other side of the planet."

"When?"

"I can't even calculate the distances in time."

"When do we tell them?"

"Of course not now. Perhaps…spring?"

"Herm…"

Hermann placed his gnarled hand firmly on Tendo's shoulder. "I'm just as scared as you are. I have a child. I don't want him to grow up in a world of post-apocalyptic distress. You're the only other person I could rely on, Choi."

"Alright. You should know now that this is gonna change everything."

"I'm thoroughly prepared for whatever comes."

12/25/2025 – 9:43 PM.: Raleigh shuffled through the small, stuffy isles of a local store, which was pretty much the only store for next few miles. He was searching for ice cream and wine, as he and Mako had agreed on hours earlier. She requested a pint of coffee-flavored, while Raleigh himself pined for a container of rocky road. He soon found an expensive bottle of sake, figuring that he would become accustomed to the taste after a few years of drinking it, although to say years would be quite an estimation. He walked to the register with his unusual combo, making a purchase from the elderly shopowner and driving back home in Mako's hybrid.

When he reached home, Mako was tidying their room, but got up to hug Raleigh and open her pint, cuddling with Raleigh, as the two put in headphones and listened to music. It elevated both their senses; the bond between them was unbelievably strong. Their post-coital emotions had already been overridden by the feelings of ghost-drifting. Listening to music together was one of the best connections that the couple could find outside the drift.

Raleigh beamed. "I love doing this."

"Who doesn't?"

"My mother would sing me this song when I was a kid. I was scared of monsters, but I couldn't muster up—"

Mako interjected. "The courage to get out of bed and close the door. I've been inside your head, I know. And you were only four. And your mother came to your bedside, and started singing this to you."

"I guess after the drift, there's nothing left to talk about."

12/25/2025 – 10:03PM: Tendo entered the now empty K-Science Lab with dual mugs of coffee, handing both to Newton and Hermann as the three engaged in an argument about the current situation.

"Alright, Hermann, great. Now he knows."

Hermann bothered to counter that. "He's the only one I could trust, Newton."

"Yeah, I know, but did you at least think as to when you're gonna break the news?" Feeling like a third wheel, Tendo joined the conversation. "Spring." Newton fiddled with his tie. "We are dealing with a potential category 6 Kaiju, which means that if there's something out there even deadlier that what we encountered in January, then we're fucked."

"Newton, your worrying has no purpose. I can't even calculate when the creature will attack." Hermann stared back at Tendo. "And why not Choi, he spent years identifying them."

Choi joined Hermann. "Exactly. We need to find out how to communicate with Newton's…..masters."

This provoked a patronizing guffaw from Geiszler. "That, sir, is a catastrophically bad idea. To attempt to socialize with a sentient race that tried to kill us twice isn't exactly ideal. They're nothing but leechers. Colonizers. They came here in the Cretaceous period, our atmosphere is way too thick. But at this point in human history, our levels of planetary pollution are ideal. Why else do you think that the Kaiju are amphibious; they can swim in our waters, they can even breathe our air for Christ's sakes."

Tendo straightened his bowtie, sighing. "I'm tired of this goddamn bickering." Newton and Hermann immediately stopped, before Hermann sat back in his chair and massaged his eyes.

Newton started up again, however. "Well, I may have learned about their culture. These Masters aren't actually savages. They're some kind of noble species with a hierarchy system."

He pulled out some intricate sketches he crafted from obsessive dreams and memories. "See there? It's like they have their generals, their drones, and their royals. They have these…cloning facilities. Remember that category III Kaiju from a few years ago? Hundreds of them, lined up. All for the offensive. And they can just think of something that can be used as a good weapon, and now you have a Kaiju."

Choi got up. "This is highly exhausting. We'll discuss this tomorrow, boys." Gottlieb sent him off and departed for his own home, leaving Newton by himself in the lab.

As Geiszler took his jacket and shut off the halogen lights, he talked to no one. "Well then, this certainly was an interesting day."

.exe/end of transmission/…../././


	3. Visions

_Raleigh stood in his tattered drivesuit, staring out into a world that was alien, but strangely familiar. It seemed like an apocalyptic painting. The air was dry and frosty, cruel and unrelenting. The place was almost kaleidoscopic in appearance, a plethora of colors across the barren wasteland. He looked behind him, only to see an enormous, burning sun. No, it was a planet, and below that, Gipsy Danger._

_As the Jaeger floated weightlessly across the stormy skies, its reactor began to pulse slowly, as if it were a heart, and the mech's arms were spread across, an unmistakable stance of crucifixion. A cold, elongated hand grasped his shoulder and he looked up. The sight of a tall, spindly, otherworldly being greeted him, its eyes piercingly dark. It started into his soul, grabbing him by the throat before casting him out into the atmosphere. He joined his jaeger in floating, just before Gipsy imploded._

12/27/2025 – 1:43AM – Tanegashima, Japan: Raleigh's heart pounded in his chest as his eyes shook open, bloodshot from the exhilaration of the horrific nightmare. He lifted himself to the side of the bed before switching on a small lamp, trying to erase the memories. This was the first dream he'd had of the Anteverse for months, the last one being in February. They often went randomly and unexplained, but would eventually die down in frequency. Trying not to wake Mako, Becket sneaked into the kitchen for a beer and sat down to the kitchen table, trying to mentally analyze what was pestering him. Deep in thought, he started to distinctly remember, gargantuan rows upon rows of elegant columns, bristling with some kind of electric current. Then the thought came to him, explaining everything. He was finally able to comprehend what Newton had been saying all this time.

He opened a small agenda, exhaustingly flipping through several telecom link numbers before reaching his target.

12/27/2025 – 9:05AM - Tanegashima: Becket kissed Mako and grabbed a small apple before heading out to "work", driving his own small Ducati to a PPDC jet that he had requested early in the morning. Upon boarding the vehicle, he was greeted by Geiszler.

"Raleigh!" A grinning Geiszler skittered over to hug Becket, who returned the favor.

"Merry belated Christmas, Newt."

"Ah, it's nothing."

The elegant craft took off, heading straight for the Shatterdome, smoothly riding on a plume.

Raleigh looked through the walkways of the jet. "New model?"

Newton returned the look. "Apparently, yes. A repurposed V-50. Now a Lockheed C-35 civilian transportation luxury shuttle."

"Wow."

"So anyway, what did you need to come out here for?"

Raleigh attempted to speak slowly, as not to try and excite Geiszler. "You remember those things you saw from drifting with the brain?"

Geiszler turned his head sideways, as if uninterested, staring out the windows to the horizon. "Yup."

"I think I'm having dreams of their..." His hand twitched, trying to think of something appropriate, since home would never be right. "Their universe. This tall, grey being always -"

A reasonably worried Newton interjected, as he started to make his way back to Raleigh's seat to listen. "Wait. With a crest?"

"Yeah". Raleigh relaxed minimally, maybe someone knew what was going on with him. "There were all these currents of lightning bristling from column to column, and in the middle of it was Gipsy. I think, I think the images are from their universe."

Newton removed his thick-rimmed glasses, massaging his eyes. "Raleigh, what you saw was what I've experienced first-hand. Those beings are what I and Herm have classified as the precursors. You must be experiencing some kind of extreme PTSD."

Raleigh defensively countered Geiszler. "Newton, this is the first time for months. And before that, they were chronic. I know what I've seen."

Newton sighed and looked dramatically at Becket, using odd, spasm-like hand movements to get his point across. "As I was saying, why are you making all of this such a big deal? Traumatic flashbacks. Alright. I can understand how you're feeling from entering another dimension, but it's been almost a year."

Raleigh's eyes narrowed from agitation. "Newton, the last time you experienced anything similar to this, two Kaiju emerged from the Victoria Harbour with the explicit intention of hunting you down, for the information in your head."

After two hours, the duo finally arrived at the dome. Three former workers strutted around the airpad, joking amongst each other and waving at Newton and Raleigh.

Once they entered through the main elevator, Raleigh couldn't help but to gasp as he caught a view of the facility's primary core. "Shit!"

Newton agreed with a wide grin. "Yup. After the program was shut down for good, they just got rid of all the Jaeger equipment. Turns out this place is a ridiculously large rec center when you empty it. It's still kinda fun to play around with the trawler, though."

"The trawler? You mean what you used to roll out the Jaegers?"

"Uh, yeah."

"Hah. What else do _you_ do? Slip Kaiju organs into Hermann's pockets? Eat microwave foods in front of him? Call him by his first name?"

Once the two reached the K-Science Lab, they chose to stand outside, giving Hermann time to finish his call with Vanessa.

"Yes, dear. Tell your mother that I am a mathematician, not a biologist. Thank you, sweetheart. Alright."

Gottlieb turned to the both of them standing at the doorway. "Ah, I see that you've come with Becket." He hobbled over to their spot, shaking Raleigh's hand, to the surprise of both Becket and Geiszler.

"Hey, Hermann. You been doing your homework?"

"Ah, good old Becket. Always knew when to make a timed pun. No, I was discussing the terms of my mother-in-law's stay with I and Vanessa. She seems not to enjoy my presence, primarily due to the fact that I "crunch numbers" and that I am a "prude". The overall experience of having her around simply reminds me of the fact that she is a space occupier and not a potential good influence on my child."

Becket looked around the laboratory, eyeing each piece of equipment that was either dormant or packaged. "Quick question: what are you guys gonna do when the dome is completely shut down?"

Hermann and Newt stared at each other blankly. Newton simply dismissed the question, heading over to the microwave to Hermann's disgust.

Gottlieb tried to stop Newton. "You know that you can't live off of vodka and pizza rolls forever."

Geiszler turned around with a mouthful of rubbery, sauce-filled goodness. "I've already made my choice."

Hermann sat, facing Raleigh with a snarky look. "So, what brings you here? Shouldn't you be back in your snug little house with Ms. Mori feeding each other chocolates and post-coital fruits and whatever the hell is considered romantic these days?"

"Well actually, I need help from both of you."

"How may we be of assistance?"

"I've have recurring dreams of the…Anteverse. But I can't fathom why they're still occurring. Or why it always has something to do with these precursors."

Gottlieb retained a stern look, slowly grasping and equipping his glasses. "Alright, Mr. Becket. It appears as though you clearly retain significant information."

Newton heard this from his desk corner, and didn't hesitate to try and stop him. "Come on, Hermann. It's not even ready."

"What's not ready?"

"Hermann and I have an MRI scanner that I was able to make compatible with a pons."

Becket beamed, his eyes brightening with excitement. "Well then let's see what it can do."

Five minutes later, Becket was stripped down to his t-shirt on the machine's small bed as he prepared for the worst. He hoped for the possibility of answers. But then again, there was a higher chance that he would more than likely be affected by gamma rays than the effects of cerebral scanning.

Geiszler hovered above him. "Alright, buddy, this shouldn't hurt a bit. Just shut your eyes real damn tight."

As the machine's primary ring-like structure scanned over Becket, an anomaly was detected, provoking the machine to utter a loud _ping_.

Geiszler gasped. "Shit." He slid on over to the machine's LCD monitor, which showed a rapidly growing blurb on the left hemisphere of Raleigh's brain. The screen then started to scramble, before the entire machine sputtered and died out.

Raleigh exited from the other side, surprised at the event. "The hell was that?"

Newton tried to check the machine's battery charges. "Uh, you broke it." The scientist stood for a moment, just trying to wrap his brain around the situation, what he was to say in response. This silence thankfully didn't last long, giving the pilot something instead of making him wait. "Apparently, these nightmares you're having..."

Newt broke off, making sure he had this right, because while he had seen the insane in the form of the spawn of Godzilla, this was pushing reality even further than that. "They are being transmitted to your head."

A dumbfounded Becket stared in disbelief at the scientist. "What?"

Newton quickly grew ecstatic. "Yes, they are. They knew you were there, you were the only human to really enter their world, and they want to know if you have any information. Whoa! This, this really opens a whole lot of doors."

Raleigh blanched, before stuttering in disbelief. "I never saw them. Gipsy's visor was down, all I could see was elect-"

Newton interrupted him. "Becket, they're sending you telepathic messages."


End file.
